The Miami Dolphins traded center Samson Satele to the Raiders last year, partly because they were concerned about his ability to hold up against some of the league's better nose tackles in a 3-4 scheme.

The Raiders' schedule is loaded with opponents who use the three-linemen, four-linebacker alignment as their base scheme. On Sunday, Satele gets another crack at showing what he can do, against a familiar opponent: nose tackle Jamal Williams.

Advertisement

"He's playing a lot harder than he was the last two years in San Diego," Satele said. "When I played him, I felt like he was going downhill. That's what the coaches were saying, that's what the players felt."

Williams faced the Raiders in the 2009 regular-season opener at the Coliseum. He suffered a season-ending elbow injury in that game and was released by the Chargers in March.

The Broncos signed Williams, 34, and made him the anchor of their defensive line. Satele said he is impressed by what he has seen of Williams on video this season.

Satele said part of Williams' strong showing this season likely owes to his being cast aside by the team that drafted him in 1998 and employed him for 12 seasons.

"He's got a chip on his shoulder because he played in San Diego a long time, and they released him," Satele said. "He's playing harder. He's getting more rotations."

The Raiders are 0-3 on the road this season, but they beat the Broncos on the road each of the past two seasons.

"We know that on the road, against them, we have to do our best because that's when they bring out all their tricks and the stuff to get the crowd going," Raiders cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha said. "We've answered that challenge in the past. It isn't a thing about not having the confidence to go out there. Guys are pretty confident every time we go out to Denver, and we're going to keep that going this week."

Broncos coach Josh McDaniels said Friday that he was interested in selecting middle linebacker Rolando McClain if the Raiders bypassed him in this year's NFL draft. The Raiders snared McClain with the eighth pick.

"I don't know if I have ever interviewed a more intelligent defensive player at the (NFL scouting) combine or in person here in our building than Rolando McClain," McDaniels said. "He was off the charts. "...

"What he showed us has really transferred over and he's using it now for (the Raiders). We liked him a lot."